It’s happening people, there’s no denying it – even if you are as stubborn as I am and feeling like Winter pulled a very poor effort together this year. The fruit tree blossoms are opening, the bulbs have been blooming for the past month and the first lambs were spotted frolicking in the paddocks long, long ago. We definitely didn’t have anything close to what I would regard as a decent Winter this year, but Lady Spring – she’s dancing a-right-on-into town. While our wood fire still ticks over and there’ll no doubt be many more days that’ll bring a chill to our fingers and toes, I can see all around us – even within us – that the Spring cleanse is starting to unfold. So here’s a quick, raw, bullet pointed post to share with you all the notes I’ve taken as we prepare to embark on our annual Cleanse and Detox. It’s absolutely not a thorough cleanse and detox program, it’s just a few key notes that I’ve pulled out from our health files to clip on the fridge as we journey through this refreshing time of the year. For some other wonderful inspiration – check out Jodi’s seasonal notes on Spring. (Please note; As we consult with the same wise Naturopath, many of my Spring notes I’ll have pasted to the fridge, have come from Jodi’s articles over the years, therefore here in this post – I have deleted those and just referred you to that link.)

General Health;

Spring ‘colds’ are often a cleanse.

This time of year is all about the liver. Sour foods will support our liver and help the body’s natural detoxification process. A great time to increase all fermented foods.

The Earth;

As the Earth cleanses, so does our body. This is what the Spring ‘wild winds’ are all about.

The animals of the Earth are also cleansing, so this is a time when we avoid animal products for 6 weeks.

Food;

Our food should be fresh and light – a ‘refresh’ from the heaviness of Winter stews and bakes.

Food should (as always) be local, organic and seasonal.

Bitter greens such as dandelion, thistle and sorrel will support the liver.

We normally follow the ‘Turn Over a New Leaf’ 6 week detox program which is fantastic – however after 7 years of this program we’re really a little over the same menu year-in-year-out. This season we’re going to mix up recipes from Michael Reese’s 6 week plan for evening meals, breakfast and lunch recipes from some great free online resources, as well as on-the-spot inspirations from the above guidelines. A favourite breakfast is homemade nut butter on essene bread, topped with sprouts – but 6 weeks of this gets a little too much to take as well, so I’ll be using quinoa for simple, easy, nutritious porridges, beans in all different ways and facon for a continental vegan breakfast. Numerous recipes from Kristen Suzanne always end up gracing our meal table, especially her TLT. For an occasional decadent treat – the infamous Choc Cherry Bomb Shake is heavenly. I’m not big at all on copious amounts of powdered food supplements, I believe you should be able to get everything you need from your nutrient dense meals, however every so often I don’t mind a bit of chocolate Garden of Life Raw Protein in our smoothies for some added oomph.

My one personal allowance during this program is that I include bone broths in our diet. The bones are from animals slaughtered before the Spring period and as Hunter Gatherer type people, our family has found we really do thrive on an animal based diet. Therefore the inclusion of the animal minerals during this period, I feel – supports our systems as they detox and heal.

Rosehip, parsley and lemon slices to increase the uptake of flavanoids.

Juices;

Green juice/smoothie each day (we’ll alternate juice/smoothie days) for the cleansing properties of chlorophyll. Use sour citrus’ but avoid orange juice as it is counterproductive to the liver as it cleanses.

::Pregnant with Marlin in Spring 2012 – obviously my program had to be modified during that Spring, but I still benefited from mindfully supporting my system through the natural cleanse that happens with each Spring season::

In a little cottage on the side of a hill in Southern Tasmania is where the song of this story is sung. Once a place where sheep grazed, this home is now a retreat for pademelons, bandicoots, echidnas, and our family. Originally from the East Coast of New South Wales we traded hectic highways for a calmer, more meaningful pace of life.
I'm Elke and together with my husband Graham - we strive to live conscious, grounded and joyful lives as we share the privilege of walking along a parenting path with our two precious children; Chilli and Marlin.